The crucified Jesus, or, A full account of the nature, end, design and benefits of the sacrament of the Lords Supper with necessary directions, prayers, praises and meditations to be used by persons who come to the Holy Communion / by Anthony Horneck ...

The Preceding Considerations reduced into farther Practice.

I▪ IF Christ, and his Apostles, press Eating and Drink∣ing worthily at this Table, it is, because they would have our Souls be in perfect health; and they are then in perfect health, when they rejoyce in the Lord always. Thomas Aquinas upon that saying, Cant. 1. 13. A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloved unto me, observes, that as Myrrhe preserves Bodies from corruption, so Christ taken, and contemplated, in the Holy Sacrament, pre∣serves the soul from various Diseases. Health is best known by Fruits and Actions; and as a sick Man can∣not perform, what the healthy doth; so that Christian, that doth not act like a healthy Man, can boast of no great matter he hath receiv'd in this Holy Ordinance. This is intended to give our Souls the strength of a Lion, the swiftness of Eagles, the alacrity of Angels, and the temper which was in the incarnate Son of God; and if we Receive worthily, we shall certainly feel these ef∣fects, in some degree at least; For it's plain, that they are felt by others, that are worthy Communicants, and what should hinder us from feeling the same, if we come furnish'd with the same qualifications? Those that are acquainted only with Men, as carnal as themselves, may possibly think, that when we talk of things of this nature, we speak Spiritual Romances, and tell them Stories next to Fables: But those that have been con∣versant with Persons wh•• ••ave chosen the better Part,

must needs perceive what health and vigor worthy Re∣ceiving adds to their Souls; For what makes them, that they delight in the Law of the Lord in the inward Man? of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 What makes them afraid of the very appearances ••y vil? What makes them converse with God so often 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Prayer, and Holy Thoughts? What makes them contented under their Misfortunes and Disasters? What makes them take such comfort in the Cross of Christ? What makes them silent, and patient under pri∣vate injuries? What makes them stand up for the Glory of God, when they see it profan'd and abused? What makes them so ready to deny themselves? What makes them so solicitous about their Everlasting State? What makes them kind and tender-hearted, and so easie to be intreated to that which is Good? What makes them forgoe their Interest rather than wrong their Conscien∣ces? Is it not their worthy Receiving? And what bet∣ter signs can there be of the Spiritual health, and flou∣rishing state and condition of their Souls? Christ in this Sacrament doth not only communicate to them an empty Name, or a fruitless Title, but makes them fruit∣ful Trees; and it must needs be so, for they, that be planted in the House of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God, saith the Psalmist, Psal. 92. 13.

II. Who, that seriously considers the Spiritual Judg∣ment we have spoken of, must not deplore the condi∣tion of abundance of nominal Christians, that Receive worthily? The Persons upon whom this Spiritual Judg∣ment is executed, are not far from every one of us. To find them out, we need not send you to the Sands of Africa, nor to the Lybian Desarts, nor to Barbarians, nor to Negro's and Americans: No, these very Persons, you may see and know at home, and in the midst of our mixt Congregations. How many have I known, that have come to this Holy Sacrament, and, after that, have grown worse than ever? Their Drunkenness, and Lewdness, their Selfishness, and Covetousness, their Ex∣travagant, and Ungodly Speeches and Actions, which

before were but Embrio's and Infants, after Receiving, have become Gyants and strong Men: What an argu∣ment is this of their unworthy Receiving? What an ar∣gument of God's Judgment? What an argument, that God hath withdrawn his Holy Spirit from them? What an argument that they are left to the power of the De∣vil? O that they were sensible, what a Judgment this is! O that they knew what a fearful State this is! O that their Eyes were open to see, that they are in the very suburbs of Destruction! O that the Vail were taken away, that they might behold the death, the ruin, the misery, the wrath, the indignation of God, they run into! O thou, that openest the Eyes of the Blind, and raisest them that are bow'd down, and loosest the Pri∣soners, open the Eyes of these unhappy Souls, that they may see the precipice they stand upon, and turn back and save themselves from this untoward Generation.

III. Let us all very seriously believe, that our Souls are capable of sickness, and misery, and death, as well as our Bodies. Indeed they cannot die, so as to cease, or to be annihilated, for they are not made of Earth and matter, and contrary humours and principles, as our Bodies are, but certainly they can die to God's Favour, and to a sense of Eternity. This Belief, if it be sound, and strong, cannot but have a mighty influence upon our Lives. If we believe this, as we ought, with ap∣prehensions of the danger we are in, we shall be as much afraid of things that will cast our Souls into sickness, or hurry them into death, and misery, as we are afraid of going to a Pest-house, where People lye languishing under their Plague-sores. Ah! sinful Man, how couldst thou neglect coming to the Supper of the Lord, if thou didst believe, that this neglect will bring a Consumpti∣on on thy Soul? How could'st thou Receive with an im∣penitent Heart, if thou didst believe, that thy impeni∣tence will kill thy Soul? How durst thou venture on those sins, that are poison and venom to thy Soul? How could'st thou be so careless of the approaching

Judgment of God, if thou didst believe that this care∣lesness will infallibly bring a Palsie upon thy Soul? How could sinful delights be so charming to thee, if thou didst believe, that they will throw thy Soul into a violent Fe∣ver? Why shouldst thou make thy Soul sick, when the great Physician offers thee health, and Salvation? The sickness of thy Soul is much harder to be cured, than the most Chronical distemper of the Body. Not but that God can heal it, as easily as the other, and need say no more, than Christ to the Paralytick in the Gospel, Arise, take up thy Bed, and Walk, and thou art presently whole; but he will not, except thou be willing too. This thy Spiritual sickness is wilful, that makes Christ backward to remove it; and if ever thy Soul be cured, it must cost thee great Mortifications, Rivers of Tears, strong Throws and Agonies, and Troubles in the inward Man, and who would make work for such a costly and labo∣rious Cure, that may be well without it? Let the Phy∣sician be never so skilful, if the Patient will not follow his prescriptions, what hopes can there be of his Reco∣very? If thou wert but willing to follow Christ's pre∣scriptions, thy Cure might be effected, even after thou hast brought thy Soul to the mouth of the Pit, and to the brink of the Grave; and if you ask me, what these prescriptions are, I must tell you, that they are these following.

1. Like New-born Babes to imbibe the sincere Milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if so be ye have tasted, that the Lord is Gracious, to whom coming, as to a living Stone, disallow'd indeed of Men, but chosen of God and Pre∣tious, ye also, as lively Stones, are built up a Spiritual House, an Holy Priesthood, to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 2. 2, 3, 4. weak and sick∣ly Persons have need of Milk; we use it in Bodily Di∣seases, when they have weaken'd the Body; and, it seems, it's necessary also for the recovery of Souls, wea∣ken'd by Sin; but then the Milk is not such, as Cows, and Sheep, and Goats do give, but it is the Word of the

Lord, which endures for ever; and to apply our selves to pondering, and meditating in it, and to make it the rule of our life, and manners, is drinking of that Milk.

2. To pull out the Right Eye, and to cut off the Right Hand, Matth. 5. 29, 30. i. e. To shun those Looks, and Actions, which are Provocations to Sin. As he, that means to recover of Bodily sickness, must avoid all things, that would irritate the morbifick matter; so he, whose Soul is sick, and would be cured, must carefully avoid the occasions of those sins, which have made him sick; and he that would be drunk no more, must avoid the Company that used to perswade him to intempe∣rance; and he that would be tempted no more by the Harlot, that drew him in, must not come near her house, Prov. 5. 8.

3. Not to repine at the bitter draughts, Christ gives you to drink of; but to say, as he in his Agonies, The Cup which my Father hath given me, shall not I drink it? Joh. 18. 11. Whether this bitter Cup be the Cup of Mor∣tification, of Fasting, of Severities, of being reveng'd upon thy self, and of deep Humiliation, or the Cup of Bodily affliction; if he bids you drink of it, it must be thankfully taken, else expect no cure; and that which ought to encourage us to drink of it, is this, that this bitterness will end at last in sweetness unspeakable, and ineffable Consolations.

4. To sell all with the Merchant in the Gospel, to get the Pearl of Price, i. e. God's love and favour, Matth. 13. 45, 46. The meaning is, nothing must come in competition with the great concern of your Salvation, nothing must be suffered to be laid in the Bal∣lance with Eternal Happiness; whatever would preju∣dice that, must be rejected, and left to those that know not how to prize it. To secure that, all must be ven∣tur'd, and if even Father and Mother should be the tempters to discourage us from it, even their Friendship

must be lost, and all that we expected from them count∣ed unworthy to be compared with the Glory, which ere long shall be revealed in us.